In another setback for Prince Harry, the former Royal will not inherit his mother Princess Diana's childhood home.
Instead, her estate will be passed down to Harry's cousin, Lewis Spencer, Viscount Althorp. When Diana, the beloved "People's Princess," tragically died in a car accident on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36, while fleeing paparazzi, her brother, the Duke of Sussex, and the Prince of Wales inherited most of her jewelry and a significant portion of her £13 million inheritance. However, Diana's childhood home and final resting place, Althorp Estate in Northampton, which has been in the Spencer family since 1508, will not go to her sons.
Lewis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, Diana's 30-year-old cousin and the son of Earl Charles Spencer, her younger brother, will inherit the 13,500-acre property. The extensive estate does not belong to Lewis's three older sisters due to the aristocracy's primogeniture system, where titles and possessions are passed down to the male heir. In a previous interview, Lewis's 33-year-old older sister, Kitty Spencer, shared her thoughts and feelings about her brother's inheritance with Town and Country magazine. She stated, "Primogeniture can be a tricky topic because as times are changing, attitudes are as well. We've always known that Lewis will be the one to take it upon himself, and we're confident in his abilities."
In anticipation of his inheritance, Lewis, who prefers to stay out of the limelight, has reportedly begun attending trustee meetings whenever possible. "He has attended trustees' meetings. I would prefer not to put any strain on him," Charles Spencer previously stated, as reported by The Telegraph. "A lot of people would have no problem with Kitty taking it over, but choosing her would go against all the Althorp heritage."
Currently under Charles Spencer's care, the nine-room mansion features a lake, a portrait gallery, and 28 subsidiary listed buildings, including agricultural, forest, and field sports enterprises. During the European summer, from July until August, the expansive estate welcomes guests. Louis, the future guardian of Althorp, is characterized as a calm person who quietly goes about his business. "He keeps to himself and gets on with his life. I have no doubt that he will go on to have a brilliant acting career," an anonymous source informed The Telegraph.
